Finding A Small Press for My Debut Novel
Finding A Small Press for My Debut Novel
After my debut novel was passed on by mainstream publishers and it became clear my agent could do no more for me, we amicably parted ways. But I wasn’t about to put this baby, which represented years of my writing life, into my desk drawer. I was convinced there were readers out there and I was determined to find them.
I hopped onto Google to investigate small presses, focused the search on ones who published commercial women’s fiction, my genre, and scoured their websites. Many looked, well, unimpressive, to say the least, with amateurish sites and unattractive book covers. But there were others that had catalogues of impressive looking books I’d want to read. I studied their submission guidelines, narrowed my list and began submitting.
Lo and behold, I received contracts from eight, count em’ eight, small presses. This was exciting. People liked my book. They wanted to publish it! I had to figure out what the difference was between all these publishers and which, if any, would be the right one for me.
How to do this?
I carefully examined each contract and compared them. Next, I arranged to speak to the publishers and made a list of questions, such as:
*What kind of editing and proof-reading did they do? Developmental? Copy-editing? Both?
*How many books did they publish per year? What genres?
*Did the author get any input when it came to cover design?
*Must an author purchase a certain number of books? (Some small presses actually require this.)
*Did they put out an audiobook?
*Who retains film/TV rights? (It was important to me to retain those rights. You never know when Netflix or Amazon may come calling.)
*How many years does the publisher retain the rights to your book?
*What kind of marketing did they do? What was required of the author?
*What was the royalty rate?
Some of these publishers wanted to know what I could bring to the table. They seemed more concerned about the size of my mailing list than my writing. Others truly loved my book. It occurred to me that I had something they needed for their business, a good book and the potential to attract readers.
I asked for the contact info of a couple of their authors, called them and asked about their publishing experiences. This feedback was particularly helpful in making my final decision.
I tossed aside seven of the contracts. I was most impressed with the last press I’d spoken with, the no nonsense professionalism of the publisher and how she put the quality of the writing first with two rounds of in-house editing. They had national best-sellers and happy authors who’d had more than one book published with them. And, very importantly, their covers were attractive.
I signed on the dotted line. Sophie Last Seen was published to some great reviews and even hit the USA Today Bestseller list. Thank goodness I didn’t send it to that desk drawer.
The takeaway? Do your homework. Ask questions. Lots of questions. There are small publishers out there who can make your dream a reality.
—
Marlene Adelstein’s debut novel is the USA Today Bestseller, Sophie Last Seen. She’s had personal essays published on Longreads, Manifestation, Talkingwriting, and Rewireme and has been awarded residencies to Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony, The Wurlitzer Foundation and others artist colonies.
She is a former film development executive. Currently Marlene is a freelance book editor specializing in novels, memoirs, and screenplays. She is at work on a new novel and memoir in essays. www.marleneadelstein.com
www.facebook.com/fixyourbook
twitter.com/fixyourbook
instagram: marlene.adelstein
Websites:
author site: www.marleneadelstein.com
editing site: www.fixyourbook.com
“A mother’s psyche edges toward madness as she tries to solve the puzzle of her daughter’s disappearance. A gripping tale of heartbreak and eternal hope.” Beth Hoffman, author of the NYT Bestseller “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt”
“Unique, mysterious, and thoroughly absorbing, Sophie Last Seen is a touching story of love, loss and survival. I loved it.” Alison Gaylin, USA Today Bestselling author of “If I Die Tonight”
Six years ago, ten-year-old Sophie Albright disappeared from a shopping mall. Her mother, Jesse, is left in a self-destructive limbo, haunted by memories of her intense and difficult child, who was obsessed with birds. Trapped in her grief and guilt, Jesse stumbles through her workdays at a bookstore and spends her off hours poring over Sophie’s bird journals or haunting the mall to search for the face of her missing child.
When Star Silverman, Sophie’s best friend, starts working at the bookstore, Jesse is uncomfortable around the sarcastic teen, who is a constant reminder of her daughter. But Star has secrets of her own, and her childhood memories could be the key to solving Sophie’s disappearance.
With help from Star and Kentucky “Tuck” Barnes, a private detective on the trail of another missing girl, Jesse may finally get some closure, one way or the other.
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
